Category Archives: Culture

Woman Chases Tiger Attacking Her Husband Away With Wooden Ladle

A Malaysian woman has rescued her husband from tiger attack by hitting the animal on its head with a wooden ladle and chasing it away.

Tambun Gediu, 60, from an Orang Asli settlement, was hunting for squirrels near his village in the Gerik Belum Forest Reserve on Saturday when the 90kg tiger pounced on him. (more…)

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Teach-in: “Unrest in the Middle East and North Africa”

Even if you did not have the opportunity to attend the panel on “Unrest in the Middle East and North Africa,” you can slearn what four experts on the history and political affairs of the Middle East had to say about the causes of the unrest in the region in this video of the panel, […]

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Spring Break: Study Suggests How to Reduce Risky Behavior

ANN ARBOR, Mich.— College students who arrange with friends to “get their backs” are less likely to engage in risky spring break behavior, according to a new study.

The University of Michigan study, published this month in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, says about 60 percent of more than 650 college freshmen surveyed reported having an understanding with their friends about using alcohol during spring break. (more…)

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Intelligence and Personality May Predict Illness and Death

Do smarter people live longer and better lives? Are certain personality types more prone to premature death than are others? As our population continues to age in dramatic numbers, these questions become increasingly relevant. A new report in Psychological Science in the Public Interest, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, provides an overview of research on possible associations between intelligence and personality traits and various health outcomes. 

Although there is not much evidence to date that links intelligence with cancer, low intelligence has been shown to be related to increased risk of hospital admission and death due to cardiovascular disease. In addition, lower intelligence is associated with a greater incidence of accidents and risk of death by homicide than is higher intelligence.   (more…)

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Amazon.com Announces the Top 20 Most Romantic Cities in America

*Alexandria, Va., knows how to keep the romance alive as America’s most romantic city for the second year in a row; Miami keeps it hot as the sexiest city in the U.S.*

SEATTLE, Feb 08, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Love is in the air. Amazon.com today announced its list of the Top 20 Most Romantic Cities in America. After compiling sales data of romance novels and relationship books (Kindle Books and print books), romantic comedy movies (digital movies and DVDs), Barry White albums (CDs and MP3s), along with sexual wellness products, since Jan. 1, 2011, on a per capita basis in cities with over 100,000 residents, the Top 20 most romantic cities in the U.S. are:  (more…)

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Having a Strong Community Protects Adolescents From Risky Health Behaviors

Children who grow up in poverty have health problems as adults. But a new study finds that poor adolescents who live in communities with more social cohesiveness and control get some measure of protection; they’re less likely to smoke and be obese as adolescents. (more…)

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Weighing the Costs of Disaster: Consequences, Risks, and Resilience in Individuals, Families, and Communities

Disasters — both natural and manmade — can strike anywhere and they often hit without warning, so they can be difficult to prepare for. But what happens afterward? How do people cope following disasters? In a new report in Psychological Science in the Public Interest, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, George Bonanno, Chris R. Brewin, Krzysztof Kaniasty, and Annette M. La Greca review the psychological effects of disasters and why some individuals have a harder time recovering than do others.

Individuals exposed to disaster may experience a number of psychological problems including PTSD, grief, anxiety, and increased substance abuse, but the evidence shows that less than 30% of adults experience severe, lasting levels of these problems. The majority of people exposed to a disaster experience passing distress but return to psychological health. In other words, people tend to be psychologically resilient. (more…)

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Every Profession Has Its Superstitions

People of many professions have their own superstitions. Most likely, they did not appear from scratch.

Doctors, for example, try not to exchange their night duties. If they do, they will have a tough night, they say. They also try not to have sex the day before the night duty. There is nothing funny about it because people usually get relaxed and become less attentive after sex. (more…)

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